The Secret To 'Effective Action' In A Job Search

We all know the past few years have been tough: tough for the economy, tough for the job markets, and, maybe, tough for you.

The important thing in tough markets, though, is to keep moving forward. Regardless of the overall level of activity in our economy, companies are always hiring professionals like you to replace those who've moved on. Companies like the 50 listed below who have posted their great jobs on TheLadders this month.

Every time we've studied your job search here at TheLadders, the biggest predictor of success is "effective action". I'll share with you what that means, after you take a look at the great jobs from these great companies hiring here on TheLadders this month:

"Effective" means focusing on jobs you could actually do, that you've actually done, and for which you're an obvious candidate. With so many qualified applicants on the market, you need to be obvious to get noticed.

That means cutting the waste out of your job search time. And you know what I mean by "waste"…

It means not applying for that great job at the NBA that's two rungs over your head. It means not surfing the web and clicking "apply now" randomly two-hundred thirty-two times. It means not applying for VP, Logistics jobs when all your experience is in finance or sales or something else.

In short, it means being sensible and respectful, because the people on the other side of your applications are sensible, respectful adults.

It also means focusing your effort on those roles that you'd love and in which you'd thrive. When you're able to come to work and be your best self, that is going to make you more successful.

"Action" means doing.

Too many people in the job search don't do anything to get a job. The employed plead hectic life, the unemployed, an absence of opportunity.

Both excuses feel real. Both make sense and get head nods from understanding relatives.

But neither will actually get you employed.

In 99.9% of the cases, effective action leads to a new job. Except for those unfortunate situations where mental illness, substance dependency, or another truly crippling external factor prevents it, effective action works.

Action means you need to speak with real, live human beings. You need to network and reach out to former friends, colleagues, and peers. You need to apply. And you need to apply yourself to applying. Not just hitting "send application", but doing the follow-up and the legwork, and the grunt work that will set you apart from the competition.

You need to do the reputation building activities that will help you build your name in your industry and community. It could be talks, or blogs, or even just great questions on somebody else's blog, but you need to care and to have passion and to be somebody that others want to work with.

And the most important thing is this:

Every day, for a few defined hours per day, you need to take "effective action" towards getting yourself ahead.

Regardless of the economy being down, up, sideways or otherwise, "effective action" is the best, only, solution to your feeling in control of, and having control over, your destiny.

So apply "effective action" to the great companies hiring this week and this month at TheLadders, and I'll hope to hear good things from you soon!